Chapter 5

The moment I pushed open the door, the smell of disinfectant hit me.

This was supposed to be my home with Lucas, but his presence was everywhere. The living room was filled with his trophies, the study was piled high with his documents, and even the shoe rack was full of his leather shoes.

All that belonged to me was a worn-out cardboard box in the corner and a few plaid shirts. The standard programmer's outfit, just like me - dispensable.

My fingers brushed against the wooden dining table, and a year's worth of dust made me cough. I remembered when we first moved in, Lucas had said tenderly, "Darling, buy whatever you want."

But every time I bought new clothes, he would say, "Honey, we need to be frugal for our AI project." And I would guiltily return the new items.

Once, twice, until I no longer dared to buy anything.

While tidying up the study, I found a diary at the bottom of a drawer. The gold-embossed cover read "Love Like First Love, Faithful Till Death."

I opened the first page: "Lily, why did you leave me? I found a programmer girlfriend, I must bring you back to life."

My heart skipped a beat, but I continued reading.

"Lily, you're the only one I love. Every time I'm nice to that woman, I feel sick, but she's so easy to fool, just a crook of my finger and she falls for it."

My fingers trembled, tears blurred my vision, but I couldn't stop reading.

"Lily, that woman is good to me, but for you, I make her work herself to death. Every time she wants to get intimate, I drug her and let homeless men have her. My chastity is only for you. She thinks she's pregnant with my child, but it's actually a bastard. When she's pregnant, I specially give her drugs to make her miscarry. I can't waste a single second that could be spent with you."

The diary fell to the floor, and I collapsed to the ground. So I was less than a tool, just a stepping stone for him to revive his first love.

I heard the sound of keys turning in the lock, and I hurriedly wiped away my tears. Lucas walked in, and seeming to notice something was off, he suddenly became gentle and caring: "Are you tired? I've prepared a surprise for you."

He took out an exquisite cake, my favorite strawberry flavor. Watching him skillfully cut the cake, I felt a moment of confusion. So he still remembered my birthday.

Just as he was about to feed me the cake, his phone suddenly rang. Lucas's face flashed with a hint of reluctance as he grabbed the cake and threw it at me. My weak body fell heavily to the ground, my forehead hitting the corner of the coffee table. Warm blood flowed over my phone screen.

I struggled to look at the message: "Lucas, aren't I your lover? Why are you so gently celebrating her birthday?"

On that virtual image, I immediately recognized the blessing charm. It was our token of love, he said it was proof of his most beloved person. Now, it was worn by AI Lily.

Lucas helped me up expressionlessly: "Sorry, it was just a joke. You're not that petty, are you?"

I forcefully shook off his hand. He glanced at the time and said carelessly, "I have to go on a business trip, take good care of yourself at home."

After bandaging my wound, I took out my phone and dialed my father's number:

"Dad, I want to come home."

There was a long silence on the other end before my father's aged voice came through: "Come back, child."

After hanging up, I felt something was off. But now, I didn't have the energy to think about it anymore.